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3 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

B. MORRIS. AUXILIARY GUN BARREL.

Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

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(No Model.)

R. MORRIS.

AUXILIARY GUN BARREL.

Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

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- AUXILIARY GUN BARREL. No. 351,334.? Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

A fig g A Q Z26 v ww fnvenior J'zcZa n2 Jibrrzat UNITED STATES PATENTGrinch.

RICHARD MORRIS, OF BLACKHEATH, COUNTY OF KENT, ENGLAND.

AUXILIARY GUN-BARREL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,334, dated October19, 1886.

Application filed June 29, 1886. Serial No. 206.637. (No model.)Patented in England August 5, 1885, No. 9,356, and November 2, 1885,1T0.13,206.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD Moxxrs, a citizen of England, and residingat Blackheath, in the county of Kent, England, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Guns, of which the following is a specification.

When large guns have to be Worked for practice, the ammunition that hasto be expended is very costly, and there are generally greatdifficulties in obtaining safe ranges of the extent required.

My invention relates to means of adapting such guns to be worked withminiature ammunition which costs very little, and which does not requireextensive ranges. The means which I adopt are such that all the workingof the gun, including the sighting, aiming, loading, firing, andextracting corresponds with that for the ordinary full-sized ammunition,so that practice with the miniature ammunition serves for trainingartillerymen as well as if the fullsized ammunition were used. I fixcentrally within the bore a small barrel, such as that of a rifle, or itmay be a barrel of still smaller bore, and I apply to its breechapparatus whereby I charge the small barrel with miniature cartridges,fire these, and extract their cases in a manner similar to that in whichthe ordinary full-sized ammunition is dealt with.

I will describe the means of centrally fixing the small barrel and ofpracticing with miniature ammunition, referring to the accompanyingdrawings.

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section, showing the rear part of the bore ofa large breechloading gun with a small barrel and its firing apparatusfixed therein, the breech beingopen or the obturator only being removed.Fig. l is alongitudinal section of part of the bore farther forward,showing the fixing of the small barrel. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectionat X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 4 is atransverse section at Y Y of Fig. 3, showing the breech-sleeve. Fig. 5is a front view, and Fig. 6 a plan, of the extractor-piston. Fig. 7 is apart longitudinal section, showing the arrangement of firing with closedbreech and with the obturator in position. A is the small barrel, whichis centered and held within the bore of the gun in the following manner:A sleeve, B, having an exterior conical bearing at its ends, is providedat one end with an interior screw-thread engaging a screw-thread on thebarrel A. The conical bearings of the sleeve B fit corresponding conicalinterior seats at the ends of a casing, 0, which is dividedlongitudinally, as indicated by the dotted lines 0, Fig. 1.

To the barrel A is rigidly attached, by brazing or otherwise, a flangedcollar, c,-which is clamped to one end of the casing O by a ring, a,overlapping the flange of the collar and secured to the end of thecasing by screws. This flanged collar is made in two semieircularsections, as shown in Fig. 2. The casing may be of a diameter nearlyequal to that of the gun; or it may be provided with longitudinal ribs0, Figs. 1 and 2, to bear against the interior of the gun. By screwingthe barrel A up in the sleeve B the latter is drawn into the casing, andby its conical bearings, acting on the conical seats of the casing, thelatter is expanded so as to either bear by its surface or by the ribs 0directly against the surface of the bore of the gun, whereby the smallbarrel is firmly held in place.

The rear end of the barrel A is constructed to receive an ordinaryrifle-cartridge, and at such rear end the barrel is provided with twolaterally projecting horns or lugs, to". A breech-sleeve, D, for thesmall barrel is provided with two rightangled slots, (1, for engagingthe horns or lugsa in a mannersimilar to a bayonet catch or joint. Thesleeve contains a piston, E, provided at one end with spring-extractorsc. This piston is free to slide within the sleeve D adistance determinedby an interior collar, (1. A pin, 6, screwed into the sleeve D, projectsinto a curved hollow, e e, in the side of the piston E; also at the rearof the piston E there is a notch, c, with a sloping side. To thebreech-sleeve D is fixed a tube, F, containing a helical spring, f,which presses forward a striker, G. In the The barrel A being fixed inthe bore of the gun, with its breech open, a cartridge is inserted intothe chamber of said barrel A, and then the .breechsleeve D is put on,its slots admitting the horns tt 'Of the barrel. At this time the pistonE is pressed forward by the springf, and the stud e is at the point e",Fig.

' 6, of the hollow in the piston E, and the extractor-hooks 6 enternotches formed at the rear of the barrel A and engage in front of theflange of the cartridge. By pushing the sleeve D onto the barrel A thepiston E is forced backward until the pin 6 is at 6 Fig. 6. The sleeve Dbeing now turned partly round, so as to engage the horns a in itsbayonet catchnotches, the piston E is prevented from being turned at thesame time because its extractorhooks e are already engaged in thenotches of the barrel A, and the pin eis moved along the hollow of E to6'', Fig. 6. Owing to the engagement of the study in the slot of thetube Fthe striker G is made to turn along with the tube F, which isattached to the sleeve D, and a stud, g, is brought round to the notche" at the rear of E, which it enters by its slope, allowing the pin ofthe striker G to advance, but not so rapidly as to fire the detonator.and ready for firing and the gun being sighted and aimed, the firing iseffected in the following manner: The tube H is pushed onto the tube Funtil its front collar, h, latches over the stud g and engages in frontof it. Then on pulling back the tube H the stud g and striker G aredrawn back with it, compressing the spring f, but the stud 9 being, asit retreats, pushed down by the slope f of the slot in the tube F,becomes at last released from the collar h, and the spring f thereuponshoots the striker G forward, its pin G firing the detonator of thecartridge. Should it happen that the sleeve D had not been turnedsufficiently far to engage fully on the horns a of the barrel A, then,as the notch e of E would not in that case present itself to the stud g,the striker G would be arrrested before its pin could. reach thecartridge. Thus the firing of the cartridge cannot take place unless thesleeve D is fully secured on the barrel A. The charge having'been fired,as above described, the sleeveD is turned partly round, so as todisengage its bayonet catch- The barrel A being thus charged notchesfrom the horns a", and by this movement the pin 6 is moved from c to'eFig. 6. The sleeve D being now pulled back moves a certain distancewithout moving the piston E, thus acquiring a certain momentum, and whenthe collar d meets the rear flange of E it exerts a blow, causing E tomove rapidly back. By this movement the eXtract-orhooks e start backwardthe case of thecartridge, and then on pulling the sleeve D quite backthe cartridgecase is brought with it.

The apparatus, so far as it has been described above, is adapted for usewith the breech of the gun left open or with merelythe obturatorremoved. A modified arrangement, such as is shown in Fig. 7, may be usedwhen the breech is closed with the obturator 0 in it, and the firing iseffected by the hammer of the gun. In this case the striker Gis pressedback by a spring, and a rod, K, extends back from it through a hole inthe ob turator-stem, with its head projecting behind. A blow of thefiring-hammer on this head causes the strikerG to fire the cartridge inthe barrel A.

Having thus described the nature of my invention, and the best means Iknow of carrying it out in practice, I claim 7 1. The combination, witha gun of large caliber, of the interior barrel, A, held therein andprovided at its breech end with lateral lugs orhornsandfiringdevices,and the breechsleeve D, having right-angled slots (1, forengaging the horns or lugs, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

2. The combination of the small barrel A, 7

having the rigidly-attached collar a and a screw-thread, with the sleeveB, engaging the screw-thread and provided with conical bearings, thelongitudinally-divided expansible casing 0, having conical seats fittingthe bearings of thesleeve, and the ring a, clamping the collar on thebarrel to the end of the easing, substantially as described.

3. The combination, with the small barrel A, having the horns a at itsbreech end, of the breech-sleeve D, having the right-angled slots orbayonet catch-notches d, detachably engaging the horns, and a slidingstriker, G, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the small barrel A, of the breeclrsleeve D,detachably connected therewith, the piston E, slidable in the sleeve andhaving extractors e, the tube F, connected with the sleeve, and thesliding striker G, located in the tube, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the small barrel A, having the horns a at itsbreech end, of

the breechsleeve D, having the right-angled slots d, detachably engagingthe horns, the piston E, slidable in the sleeve and having extractors e,the tube F, connected with the sleeve, and the striker G, located in thetube, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with a gun of large caliber, of the small barrel A,centered in said gun and having the horns n at its breech end, thebreech-sleeve D, having the right-angled slots d, detachably engagingthe horns, the sliding striker G, and the sliding strikingrod K,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, this 15th day of June, A.

RICHARD MORRIS.

Witnesses:

OLIVER IMRAY, Patent Agent, 28 Southampton Buildings, London,

JNO. P. M. MILLARD, Clerk to Abel (it Iinmy, Consulting Engineers andPatent A gents, 28 Southampton Buildings, Loudon, TV. 0.

